Sheet feeding machine



B. DUNN w SHEET FEEDINGMACHINE March 7 6, 1951 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 9, 1947 Fla 2.

m0 m W Mv March 6, 1951 B. DUNN 2,543,836

SHEET FEEDING MACHINE Filed Jan. 9, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet s v INVENTOR. BENJAMZN DUNN March 6, 1951 B. DUNN SHEET FEEDING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Shegt 4 Filed Jan. 9, 1947 N nA Patented Mar. 6, 1951 4 omen "STATES PATENT omcs SHEETFEEDING "MACHINE Benjamin Dunn, West Hartford, Conn. Application January 9, 1947, Serial No. 721,084 4 Claims. (01. 271-42) The resent invention relates to improvements in a Sheet Feeding Mechanism and has for an object to provide a machine simple in construction, positive in operation, and economlcal in -manufacture. I 7

Another object or the invention is to provide amachine whose simplicity in construction requires a minimum of costly machined parts and machinery is particularly adapted for economic mass-production. W ith the foregoing and other objects in view,

the invention will be more fully described hereinafter and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawingshin whichlike parts are denoted by the samereference characters-throughout the several views, H r

Figure 1 is a..fragmentary side. elevationof an improved collating machine constructed in accordance with the presentinvention with parts broken'away. Figure .2 is ."a fragmentary end elevation of Figure 1 with parts broken away. Figure .3 is a top plan view of thedriving mechanism taken on the line 33 inFigure 1.

. Figure 4 is averti'cal section taken on the line -4--4 in FigureZ.

. Figure 5 is a. perspective view of one of the stockpile units with the ejecting beam at. the

medial portion of the ejecting movement...

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of the ejectin beam "at the completion of the ejecting movement.

Figure F7 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view of theejecting beam on its return trip to the starting point of the ejecting movement.

FigureB is also a perspective view showing the magazine empty of paper and the ejector and ejecting pins dropped down to the lowermost position. I V

v Figure!) is a vertical section taken onthe line 9-9 in Figure 1.

Referring more particularl to the drawings, the machine is composed of units. Each unit contains a quantityof a page and all the pages in the same unit 'lbear indi'cia. There are as many units as there are differently numbered sheets to be collated. Thatis, all the sheets bearin the number of page 1 are in one unit,

all the sheets bearing the number of-p'age 2 are in one unit, and so on, the :lowest numbered page. being in the lowest unit, andeach :successively numbered page being in the unit next higher. Each unit is identical and theunitsa're placed one above the other in step ladder fash.

ion- They are connected to a common chute is that guides each sheet as it is ejected into a common basket or container I1. r

-to pulley and gear supports 48 and '49 respectively. Pulley and gear supports and 49 are in turn fastened to base 31. On pulleys ll there 7 are two V belts 12 which run from the bottom or :the machine, vd pulleys 1!, t the top bf the machine; Vd pulleys i3.

Vd pulleys [3 are keyed to a shaft which also is supportedflby 's'upports 48- 'and '49. Carried. on belts I2 by two pins 41 is a freely attached rack M which is of a predetermined length and having teeth thereon. Also supported between supports 48 and 49 are back-up rubber rolls 4| "Carried by shafts 42, an idler gear 43 carried by shaft 44, and the end of shaft 2! which extends from each of the aforesaid units. For each of these shafts 2! there is an idler gear 43 and shaft 44 and two rubber rolls ll and shafts 42. On shaft-2| between supports 48 and 49 is a gear l5 which meshes with gear 43. Also on the shaft il outside of the support 049 is atiming spool '33.

Wound on the timing spool 33 is a, predetermined length of flat chain 21. The chain 21 extends .from the spool 33 to the rear of the support-. 49

where it is freely attachedto an adjustment screw 29. To confine the chain 21 when it is unwound a chain retaining bracket is pro- 18 are bearing supports 5|. holder bearing supports 5| are bent upwardly from the body of the sheet holder l8 to an angle Tat lasso 43 such that the teeth 55 on the rack l4 cause gear l5 of each unit to operate in the proper sequence. Each unit thereupon deposits its paper into chute l6 and through the chute l6 into basket IT. The page 1 of paper 52 in the lowest unit will be ejected first, then the rack l4 will pass between the next rolls 4| and gear 43 causing the next gear Hi to operate. This will cause page 2 to be ejected and so on to each higher unit in proper sequence. When the last unit has been engaged, the belts |2 carry the rack l4 back to the starting position thus causing a complete cycle of operation. The return spring 32 causes idler gear 43 to be returned to its initial position after the rack l4 passes on tothe next higher gear train. The chain 21 checks the return movement.

In each unit is a sheet holder I8 which is slightly larger than the size of paper 52 to be used. At the front corners of the sheet holder The front sheet of 90 and run along the long dimensioned sides of the holder l8. Inclined planes 5? are cut into these sheet holder bearing supports 5| which cause the traverse arm 26 to disengage the paper '52. The front sheet holder bearing supports 5| carry shaft 2! and return spring 32. Mounted between the front sheet holder bearing supports 5! is a defiector 34. The deflector 3t is spot welded to the front sheet holder bearing supports 5|.

Return spring 32 is fixed to one of the front sheet holder bearing supports 5| on one end and shaft 2| on the other end. The rear bearing supports 29 are spot welded to sheet holders it. Inasmuch as the rear bearing supports 26 carry stub shafts 22, space is provided between such stub shafts for loading the stacks of paper into the sheet holders l8 of all the units in the machine. On these shafts 2! and 22 are four Vd pulleys 23 and 23 The function of the pulleys 23 is to drive two spring belts 24 along the sides of the sheet holder I8. Fixed to the bottom run of the spring belts 24 and allowed to run freely of the top run of the spring belts are traverse arm carriers 25 having vertically elongated slots 58 'therethrough, one provided for each side of the holder l8.

The ends of the traverse arm 26 are vertically slidable in the slots 58. The traverse arm 26 carries two or more very sharp pins 28. The pins 28 project down so as to engage the top sheet 52. The angle of projection varies from to 90 depending upon the kind, quality, weight, and thickness of the paper used and may be controlled by mechanical adjustment. Guide slots '59 are cut in the sides of the traverse arm 26 to confine same between the side bars of the carriers 25. Arm 26 is constructed of hollow square pipe with removable plug 65, and the weight can be varied by inserting shot or other weighted material.

Side return rails 3c are mounted outwardly of the slotted guides 58 at an elevation higher than that of the original sheet stack 52 in position to receive and slidably support the extreme outer end of. the bar 26 on the return movement of the bar from front to rear of the sheet holder l8. The extreme ends of the bar 25 may be shouldered or provided with lips as indicated at B to better support the bar 26 from the rails 30.

The rails 35 may be carried by legs 66 which are substantially vertical and arms -6| substantially horizontal and extending beneath the lower runs of the traverse arm carriers 25 for attachment to a portion of the machine or sheet holder l8. Other arms 68 extending horizontally from the upper ends of the leg 66 carry the rails 30 in suchwise that the rails 39 lie just outwardly of the traverse arm carriers 25 while the supporting frames 65, 51, and 68 are offset outwardly to avoid interference with the belts 24 or other moving parts. For convenience the return rails 31] and their respective ofiset frames till, 61, and 58 may be of one piece resilient metal wire construction.

The forward portion of these rail-supporting frames may be utilized to pivotally support the lift arms 3!. Such arms 3| are carried by trunnions o9 rotatably mounted in collars st carried by the forward arm 53. The trunnions 69 also carry stop arms it having laterally turned offset terminalfree ends ll extending across the legs 56. The arms 3| and ill extend off the trunnions 69 at difierential angles as shown in Figure 6 and the unit as a whole gravitationally is biased to the position shown in rigure 6 in which both arms 2| tend to descend until the stop ll abuts leg mi; in whlch position the arm is may be vertical, and the arm 3! diagonal and intersecting the inclined edges 51.

riacn unit operates in the following manner:

As the rack it passes between rolls 4|, the teeth on said racK mesh with gear 43 imparting rotation thereto and thus to gear |5.

Gear l5 rotates the shaft 2| and uhwinds timing chain 2|; simultaneously, pulleys 23 move spring belts 2 forward and tlghten or compress spring 32. The traverse arm carriers 25 being attached to the lower run of the belts 24 are thus carried forward causing the traverse arm 26 to advance and dig its pins 22 lightly into the sheet of paper and rest thereupon, the pins being pointed in the direction of ejection. As the rack I l completes its run on the gear train, the traverse arm 26 is carried forwardly almost to the end of its path. The pins 28 meanwhile have caused the paper to be partly ejected from the sheet holder I8. When the center of gravity of the paper passes the edge of the sheet holder -l8, the paper falls due to gravitational attraction through chute l6 into the basket ll.

Approximately at this point the traverse arm 25 has begun to ascend the inclined planes 5?, thus causing the paper 52 to completely detach itself from the pins 28. .As the ends of the arm 26 ride up the inclined planes 5? they will encounter the lift arms 3| from the under sides, thus freely lifting such arms 3|. After the ends of the bar 26 move past the arms 3|, such arms 3| will automatically drop back to origin position indicated in Figures 5 and 6. At this point the rack It disengages the gear train and the return spring 32, which has heretofore been compressed, causes the front shaft 2| to rotate in the opposite direction. The belts 24 also reverse direction and move the traverse arm carriers 25 backwardly toward the rear of the sheet holder l8. In so doing the ends of the arm 26 descend the inclined planes 51, ride up the lift arms 3|, slide along the elevated rails 30, and eventually fall off the rear ends of the rails onto the next sheet of paper to be ejected from that particular unit. The timing spool 33, chain 21, and adjustment screw 29 stop the shaft 2| from further rotation when the arm 26 falls off the elevated rails 30. This completes the cycle of action and the unit is ready to operate again when the rack 14 returns to reengage the gear train.

As stated hereinbefore, the rack it engages the gear train of each unit successively so that each unit higher up deposits its sheet of paper on top of the sheet of paper of the unit next lower so that the proper numerical or chronological sequence is maintained.

Loading each unit is accomplished by placing the stack of paper 52, the printed side down, slightly into the entrance of each sheet holder 18. When the stack is lined up with the guides of the sheet holder 18, the operator slowly pushes the pile of paper into the machine. A line will be stenciled on the case of the machine to indicate how far the stack should be pushed. When the stack enters the sheet holder I8, the corner -of the pile of paper forces the paper loaders l9 upwardly. The paper loaders I9 are hinged by pins 50 to the sheet holder I8, except in the top unit where they are hinged by pins 50 to spacer 35. When the paper loaders I9 are forced upwardly they carry the traverse arm 26 and thereby clear the sheet holder 18 for the new stack of paper.

When and if a unit has no paper, the traverse arm 26 rests on runners 53 which are part of the sheet holder I8. These runners 53 are bent upwardly from the body of sheet holder l8 and extend from the rear bearing supports to merge into inclined planes 5'! of the front sheet bearing supports 5|. Also approximately under the pins 28 of the traverse arm 26 are as many troughs as as there are pins. These troughs 5d are in the body of the sheet holder l8 and extend from the rear bearing supports 20 to the vicinity of the shaft 2|. When the paper runs'out, the traverse arm falls off the rails upon the runners 53 of the sheet holder I8. The pins 28 clear the sheet holder [8 because the troughs 54 are pressed into its body and extend in length beyond the path of the pins 28 as they come in proximity with the sheet holder [8. When the rack 14 causes the arm 26 to advance, it does so but does not eject paper; in other words, all units work in sequence regardless of whether or not the units contain paper.

While I have disclosed herein the best form of the invention known to me at the present time, I' desire it to be understood that I reserve the right to make changes and modifications in the herein described embodiment of the invention provided such changes fall within thescope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. For use with a plurality collator wherein the sheets to be collated are adapted to be vertically disposed to one another, a collator comprising, a sheet holder, an ejector having a reciprocating ejecting and return movement, a vertically slotted yoke slidably receiving and guiding said ejector, cam means carried by said sheet holder at the sides thereof cooperating with said ejector at the end of its ejecting movement for lifting said ejector within said yoke from the sheets when said ejector contacts said cam, a track carried by said sheet holder for returning said ejector to its initial starting position, and drive means to move said yoke and said ejector carried therein for ejecting and return movements.

2. A collator according to claim 1 wherein said drive means comprises endless belts alongside the sheet holder, means to drive said belts forwards and backwards, and vertically slotted yokes affixed to one of the runs of the belts and slidably receiving end portions of said ejector for vertical reciprocation during horizontal movement.

3. In a collator, a sheet holder, a movable ejector member, vertically slotted yokes for receiving end portions of the ejector member, endless coil spring belts having runs thereof. slidable through upper portions of, the yokes and other runs fixed to the lower portions of the yokes, spring means carried by said sheet holder and connected to said endless coil spring belts for holding said yokes in an initial position, means for moving said yokes on an ejecting movement, and means for returning said. ejector member at a higher elevation from the stack than on its ejecting motion.

4. For use in a collator having a plurality of vertically disposed sheet holders for sequentially ejecting a numerical series of papers or the like, a sheet holder, side walls carried by said sheet holder having inclined planes at the ejecting ends thereof, endless belts alongside said sheet holder, means carried by said side walls of said sheet holder for supporting said endless belts on each side of said sheet holder, a vertically slotted yoke carried by said endles belt at each side of said sheet holder, a return track carried by said sheet holder along the sides thereof, an ejector bar carried within the confines of said vertically slotted yoke extending beyond said side walls and having pins carried thereon adapted to contactually engage and forwardly urge papers stacked on said sheet holder, and spring means one end of which is secured to a side wall of said sheet holder and the other end of which is secured to said carrying means for said endless belts whereby when said endless belt carrying means is rotated in one direction the yoke is driven forwardly to eject paper from said sheet holder and said ejector ascends the inclined walls and the rotary motion is removed thereby permitting the then contracted spring member to expand and impart rotation to said carrying member driving said ejector along said trackway and returning the same to its initial starting position.

BENJAMIN DUNN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

